Explosion at Cleveland-Cliffs Mill

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An investigation is underway at the Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill in East Chicago after an explosion at a slag pit. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report no one was injured during the incident Sunday that sent a cloud of smoke that could be seen for 20 miles.

The publication says the blast took place at Lafarge North America, which operates on Cleveland-Cliffs property.

Lafarge uses slag generated by the steel mill in the production of cement.

The publication says slag is a volatile byproduct of steelmaking prone to exploding when mixed with water and that heavy rain in recent days may have played a role in the incident.